The demand letter is a straightforward document - but it is the single most common source of deployment delays we handle. Not because employers are careless, but because the requirements differ by country, some are non-obvious, and the consequences of getting them wrong are always the same: the Protector of Emigrants (India's MEA emigration office) puts the batch on hold.
These are the mistakes we see most consistently, and what to do about each.
Salary Listed in USD Instead of Local Currency
The salary must be stated in the local currency of the destination: AED for UAE, SAR for Saudi Arabia, BHD for Bahrain, QAR for Qatar, KWD for Kuwait, OMR for Oman.
Many employers list salary in USD because their internal cost model runs on dollars. The Protector of Emigrants verifies the salary against the minimum wage schedule using local currency - they do not perform the conversion. A USD figure results in an immediate query.
Salary Below Current Minimum Wage
Minimum wages in GCC countries change, and they change by role category. MOHRE updated its minimum salary guidance for several job categories in 2024. MHRSD has sector-specific minimums that differ from the general figure published in most online guides. If the demand letter salary sits below the current applicable minimum, even marginally, emigration clearance is rejected.
Do not rely on a figure from a 2022 or 2023 guide. Call the recruiter and confirm the current minimum for the specific role and destination.
No Accommodation Certificate
UAE and Saudi Arabia both require a separate accommodation certificate confirming that employer-provided housing meets the relevant authority's standards. Saudi Arabia also requires this certificate to be attested by the Saudi embassy in India.
This document is not an optional appendix. Without it, emigration clearance cannot proceed. Many first-time employers omit it because accommodation is handled separately in their internal processes. For demand letter purposes, it must be included as an attached document at the time of submission.
Role Title Mismatch With Visa Category
The job title in the demand letter must match exactly the visa category approved by the GCC authority's classification system. "Warehouse Worker" and "Loading/Unloading Helper" are different classifications in MOHRE. "Rider" and "Delivery Bike Rider" may not be treated as equivalent. A mismatch flags a manual review, adding several working days.
Before typing the job title into the demand letter, ask the recruiter to confirm the exact approved classification for the destination country.
Missing Trade Licence Number
The employer's commercial registration or trade licence number must appear on the demand letter letterhead. Without it, the document cannot be verified by either the Indian recruiter or the destination authority. This is a formality that is easy to overlook when typing on a standard letterhead template that doesn't automatically include the registration number.
No Company Stamp
A signature without the official company rubber stamp is treated as informal correspondence by Indian emigration processing - regardless of whether the letterhead is authentic and the signature is clearly legitimate. The stamp is a mandatory formality. If the stamp is unavailable, issue the demand letter when it can be stamped.
Headcount Doesn't Match Approved Quota
If the demand letter requests 60 workers and the employer's approved quota with the GCC authority is 40, the emigration office flags the discrepancy. Either initiate a quota increase request with the relevant GCC authority first, or adjust the demand letter headcount to match what is actually approved.
The Fastest Way to Avoid These
Send the draft to AK International before issuance. We review it against current requirements for the specific destination. This takes us a few hours and consistently prevents hold notices that cost 5-7 deployment days.